Statistical studies of collision and non-collision fires abound, founded upon information in publicly available collision and fire incident data bases. Recent efforts to improve the quality and reliability of the data within such databases have included the development of vehicle fire investigator training materials for motor vehicle crash investigators. These materials will be available to investigators both as a computer-based training system for remote learning and as a classroom seminar. When completed, the computer-based training course will be publicly available.
The computer-based training course is based on published and unpublished research on vehicle fires, material properties and ignition characteristics. Topics include a discussion of combustible fluids and materials, ignition sources, burn patterns, arson, hybrid vehicles and vehicle design, as well as background information on fire science, automotive systems, and design and investigation standards.
This paper will include a description of the training program, provide a summary of available data related to ignition sources, and describe the process of differentiation between ignition sources. An additional paper (Part 2) discusses data and processes related to fuel sources and burn patterns.